After withdrawing from National Dialogue, Steenhuisen describes coalition as 'critical but stable'
The DA leader said much work still needs to be done to set up structures that will ensure the smooth working of the GNU, in particular sorting out disagreements.
Democratic Alliance leader, John Steenhuisen. Picture: @Our_DA/X
CAPE TOWN - After withdrawing from the National Dialogue and having a deputy minister axed, two weeks on, the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has described the coalition as “critical but stable”.
Last week marked a year since the DA officially stepped into the halls of power with six ministers and six deputies.
But Steenhuisen said much work still needs to be done to set up structures that will ensure the smooth working of the Government of National Unity (GNU), in particular sorting out disagreements.
With the one-year anniversary of the GNU having passed, the coalition finds itself in another impasse, this time over the National Dialogue and compromised African National Congress (ANC) ministers.
Steenhuisen said while he’s yet to discuss matters related to his party’s withdrawal from the National Dialogue with President Cyril Ramaphosa, he doesn’t see the point of him serving on the inter-ministerial committee.
“If I'm expected to be on it, I will use that position to get to the bottom of what this is all really about. I will interrogate the budget, to be able to understand who’s been invited, to understand who these organisations are that seem to be leading this process behind the scenes.”
Steenhuisen has taken a dim view of the DA being called out at a press conference at the Union Buildings last Friday in front of visiting Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen, when Ramaphosa called the DA’s withdrawal from the dialogue as the ‘worst form of hypocrisy’.
“We remain in critical condition a lot of the time because these things that should be discussed behind closed doors and in environments where we can thrash it out, are not there.”
Steenhuisen said he is still waiting on a date from the president for a promised breakaway of coalition party leaders where they can thrash out their differences in private.
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